Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.

Monday, September 11, 2017

Guerrilla Art in Bryan Park Gets a B

Image from Indecline

Please note: My background to do with
street art, graffiti, guerrilla art, etc., is a little different from
most folks who opine about it in periodicals and on social media. Some
longtime Richmonders know what I mean with that assertion. For those who
don't, let's just say my hands didn't stay clean in the day.

That admission isn't to say I'm
endorsing vandalism today. Nor is it to brag about my outlaw
handbiller times. It means I've considered the realm of
unauthorized expression and prankdom from various perspectives. My mind is
open to the notion that sometimes such urgent, do-it-yourself expressions can sometimes have
a righteous nature.

Anyway, here's what I've got to say about the Sept. 5, 2017, Ku
Klux Klowns stunt/art installation in Richmond's Bryan Park, a beautiful urban park with lots of big old trees, executed
by a group calling itself Indecline.

As far as commenting on
this caper/piece goes, I'm doing it without having seen it firsthand. It
didn't stay on display in the park for all that long, so
like most people who know about it at all, I've only seen still and
moving pictures. Plus, I've read at least 10 articles about it. I also
watched
the Indecline-produced video on the stunt.

As far as I know, no one was injured
and no property was damaged. In my book that's good and not always
easy to manage. So, in some ways the caper was done with precision.
While the image of eight lynched clowns Indecline created had its disturbing aspects –
after all, it drew on horrific photographs of mass lynchings we've all seen – it
was not over-the-top vulgar or gross.

The group said
they were reacting to Charlottesville's violent scene on Aug. 12th. They
said they chose Richmond for its history. All that made sense. Mocking
the KKK always makes sense.

It was a striking image. Still, by putting
clown masks and big clown shoes on the KKK-garbed effigies levity was
used to softened the nightmare angle, somewhat. Moreover, that's just where I think they
began to create a little problem, in that they raised the bar.

It seems the clown masks and goofy shoes weren't enough, the political pranksters hung a placard on one of the
effigies that said: "If attacked by a mob of clowns, go for the
juggler."

Photo from Indecline

OK, I'm not sure how many meanings can be
wrung out of that statement. It seems mostly like a
superfluous last-second dollop of absurdity. Not knowing when to quit can hurt your grade. Were they hedging their bet?

If you want to be
spot-on, art-wise, politically and flawless with the caper … AND then you want
to be funny, too, well, that's trying to play at the top level of
social commentary. That's on LuisBuñuel's level. That's on J.D. Salinger's level.

So I give Indecline a B for its
well-executed KKK stunt and I'm looking forward to what they do next.